The Death Knight slowly approached the road and at last stepped onto it.
Then he bowed politely at the waist to Aerfey, who stood closest to receive him, and spoke.
“I praise the one who closes the Gate of End.
It is an honor to meet you for the first time, High Rector.
I am a Death Knight—one who walks the world again under the guidance of Brinis.”
“Is the path you walk doom… or oblivion?”
The greeting used when a noble or a MOW meets a superior necromancer is similar to what the Death Knight had just spoken, but the paired response varies depending on the addressee.
For example, between senior and junior necromancers of the same order, the customary reply would be: “Is our contention birth… or resurrection?”
However, although the Death Knight was indeed an undead being belonging to the Order of Brinis, he was not a typical resurrected entity; rather, he already existed in a completed state of resurrection.
Therefore, a superior necromancer receiving such a greeting must respond with a special formula used only when addressing a Death Knight.
The Death Knight then gave the proper reply to Aerfey’s words.
“If doom leads me, then I shall accept oblivion as well.”
“I am Aerfey.
This is judge Kaohan of Shadowfoot and his attendants.
This is Medipl, an elven teeacher, and this young boy is Rimas, a protégé of Hemenin.”
Aerfey had already been told that Rimas possessed the talent of a warrior, so he introduced him as a protégé of Hemenin.
A protégé is someone whose talent has been recognized but whose training has not yet begun.
Hemenin is the name of the Creator God who grants warriors their talent and then guides them according to the path of training they follow.
Ordinarily, when nobles or MOW meet for the first time, it is customary for the one of lower rank to state their name and their place of origin or affiliation.
But the Death Knight was an exception—he had no name.
When a person becomes a Death Knight, all memories of their former life are lost, including their name.
Thus they become a nameless being, known simply as “the Death Knight.” One may distinguish them by region—such as “the Death Knight of Whitestone”—but such distinctions are seldom needed, as Death Knights are exceedingly rare.
Even someone like Aerfey, who had spent many years as a necromancer, had never encountered a Death Knight, apart from the ones who worked at the Order’s headquarters while he was studying there in his youth.
This, however, does not include the period when he was active as a Mnahe.
Aerfey asked,
“What brings you here?
Are you merely passing through, or do you have business with us?”
“I am not merely passing through.
I have no business with you or your party, High Rector.
However, if it is not too much trouble, I would be grateful for some provisions.”
Aerfey had expected the request for food, but the remark that he was not merely passing through caught him off guard.
For a Death Knight, every other purpose in existence takes second place to the quest to recover lost memories—above all, their name.
Thus they usually say they are simply passing through, or that they are on a journey to find that name.
To say otherwise was exceedingly rare.
For the moment, Aerfey set his curiosity aside and turned to the matter at hand.
“Where are your minions?”
“They are approaching from behind.
You will see them shortly.”
“I can already sense them.
A short while after Aerfey spoke, dozens of zombies drew close enough to be seen.
They were visible not because of the light from the wagon’s lantern, but because blue flames wreathed around them.
The zombies Rimas had seen in Whitestone had been nothing more than walking corpses and had borne no such flames.
Even Medipl, who as an itinerant instructor had traveled widely and seen many graveyards, had never seen zombies like these.
That alone made it clear that the zombies under the Death Knight’s command were of an entirely different caliber.
However, as monsters, the zombies could not approach the road.
They stopped outside the range of the milestone’s power.
Aerfey extended his hand and recited a prayer to invoke divine authority.
In the distance, the ground beneath the zombies suddenly bulged upward.
It rose into a mound over a meter high, and then the surface burst open, unleashing a torrent of crawling creatures—maggots, centipedes, worms, grubs—countless writhing insects pouring forth.
It was impossible to comprehend how so many had gathered so quickly.
The eerie blue flames around the zombies made the distant scene plainly visible.
The moment they saw the insects, the zombies lunged forward in a frenzy.
The creatures that had fled when they first burst from the earth grew still as the zombies drew near.
They lay frozen like prey seized by terror, unable to move and only waiting to be consumed.
Within minutes, the vast swarm—tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands—was completely gone.
What defied belief was not just the speed, but the sheer fact that such a number had vanished into those few zombies.
“Thank you.
It seems they have eaten well after a long time.
I can feel their satisfaction.”
Aerfey nodded.
“What did you mean earlier—that you are not passing through?”
“I am pursuing a wanted individual.
I have been chasing him since the Inland Sea.
If you know anything, I would appreciate your assistance.
He is wrapped entirely in white bandages, wears white clothing, with bandages even around his head, and is highly skilled with a blade.”
At those words, everyone—including Rimas—changed expression.
Aerfey asked what they all wished to know.
“Do you know his identity?”
“I do not.
He is wanted with bounties on his head in multiple regions.
Of all the bounty targets I have pursued, he has eluded me the longest.”
“To chase someone all the way from the Inland Sea to here… that alone is a losing bargain, far beyond the worth of most bounties.
And that, by itself, tells me how formidable he is.
That a Death Knight has pursued him for so long without catching him… Of course, a Death Knight never abandons a chosen target.”
The Death Knight replied,
“Not quite.
Over this long pursuit, I have come to see that capturing him myself will be extremely difficult.
However, as you said, a Death Knight cannot abandon one he has condemned to death.
This may well turn into work for an entire century.
By then, there may be no bounty left to claim—but that no longer matters.”
“You speak of a century.
Do you believe he will not die of old age?
Do you have any reason to think so?”
“I have no concrete reason.
But I, who do not feel the passage of time, sense its weight in this pursuit.
If I feel it so, then perhaps it may indeed span generations—or a century.
It is also possible that he will die somewhere of old age, and I will merely sense his death without ever capturing him.”
“I see.
So he fears you, and that is why he only flees?”
“That is correct.”
Then the judge stepped down from the carriage and approached.
“In fact, our demesne is likewise about to place a bounty of ten thousand coins on that man.
From your description, I believe it must be the same person.”
The Death Knight turned toward him.
“Is that so?
Then it seems he has claimed yet another victim in this area.
Given his past behavior, I had thought it was about time.”
His tone was entirely different now.
The courteous neutrality he had shown the High Rector was gone.
His voice carried a chilling weight that made everyone who heard it shudder, and beneath it ran a low, unpleasant undertone like a dull, murmuring wind.
Because he had turned his head slightly, the oppressive aura Aerfey had been holding back in front of him now washed over the others directly.
His pronunciation was indistinct—the organs that produce human speech had decayed—but despite this, everyone understood him clearly.
His meaning resonated directly in their minds.
Simply hearing him caused dizziness and headaches in everyone except Aerfey.
“I ask that you report your progress to any branch of the Order whenever possible.”
“Understood.”
“If you have no other business, you may leave.”
“Yes, High Rector.”
The Death Knight bowed once more and stepped off the road toward his waiting zombies.
As he gestured, a visible haze enveloped them, allowing them to cross the road despite the milestone’s power.
After they passed and disappeared, Aerfey approached Rimas.
“This is only a conjecture, but the one who killed your father was likely driven here while fleeing that Death Knight.
He must have committed multiple murders elsewhere as well, hence the widespread bounties.
To evade capture from the Inland Sea to here—his ability to escape is exceptional.”
He continued,
“For now, we cannot learn more.
But the Death Knight will leave reports with our Order.
As long as he continues the pursuit, that man will never know peace.
By the time you graduate, he will either be dead by the Death Knight’s hand, or at least his location will be known.
So visit the Order occasionally and ask for updates.
I will make arrangements.
And as you will learn at school—when seeking information from another order, it is customary to bring a donation.”
Rimas, still dazed, reflexively thanked him.
As Aerfey returned to the wagon and Medipl followed, Rimas spoke.
“This is all so sudden… I’m confused.”
“So am I,” Medipl replied.
“And to see a Death Knight in person… I had only read about them.”
“Come to think of it, it’s a monster—but it walks on the road.”
“A Death Knight is an undead that can only arise from someone who was an exceptional warrior in life.
They retain high intelligence and their former abilities.
However, since a warrior’s power comes from the Creator God Hemenin, those abilities are lost upon becoming undead—they now belong to Brinis.
Still, their martial skills remain, and they gain new powers from Brinis, making them stronger overall than in life.”
He added,
“Ordinarily, they cannot approach roads.
But if registered with the Imperial government, they can ignore the milestone’s power.
Even their minions can endure it when accompanying them.”
“Registered?”
“Yes.
After becoming a Death Knight, they usually register through a cleric of Brinis they first encounter.
Unregistered Death Knights are the most dangerous—they inherently hate the living.
Undead on the Imperial continent are restrained only by the Order’s authority.”
“Once registered, they swear not to harm Imperial citizens without cause.
Then they may enter towns and cities.
Realizing they need money to function in society, they often become bounty hunters.
Since their oath allows them to kill criminals, they pursue wanted targets.”
“What if they never meet a necromancer?”
“If they cause trouble, the Order is notified, and someone like Aerfey is dispatched.
There may be initial casualties, but the Death Knight is not punished—undead attacking the living is considered natural, like wolves hunting sheep.”
Rimas nodded slowly.
“I see… So even a Death Knight needs money.”
“Yes.
Even without eating or sleeping, they still require goods and services.
They typically go to major cities with skilled craftsmen, purchase or repair equipment, and gather information on bounties.
But above all, their greatest goal is to recover their past memories—especially their name.”
“Is that really so difficult?”